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Last October during a routine eye exam, a freckle was found in the middle of my left eye. Photos were taken and a 6 month follow-up was done today at the ophtalmologist's office in Boston, a 100 mile two hour drive, each way, from Laconia. I've kept with the Boston doctor because she did the cataract surgeries in 2005. October '08 would have been my last trip south for eye exams, except she found a freckle in my left eye. This kind of freckle needs measuring every 6 months to watch for changes. An eye freckle is noticeable only when the eye has been dilated and looked at via eye exam machines, so, even with a 5x magnifying mirror, I cannot spy it.
Now, as my family knows, I have a strange medical history: when a doctor finds something, it seldom follows expectable behavior, other doctors come to look and discuss, often puzzled as to what and why I "present" such a strange whatever. These "whatevers" have occurred from tip to toe and generally are not serious, just annoying. Well, except for when my heart stopped for no known reason in '93 and I needed a pacemaker, or the baby sized left eustachian tube necessitating 3 mastoid surgeries between '65 and '72... then there was -- well enough other stuff to show a pattern of anomalies -- like this eye business.
This freckle should either have stayed as it was or had a shape and/or size change. Instead, a second one appeared on the left eye and a single one, on the other eye. I guess this was not expected as two other doctors came for a look, several more photos were taken and an appointment made with a retinal specialist for the end of June. Best case scenario: freckle check every 4-6 months. Worst case: freckle turns into melanoma into cancer and treatments.
IF my pattern of strange stuff stays true to form, I'll be driving 2 hours each way every 6 months simply for more eyeball measuring photos. Which, if you've never seen any, are very strange, resembling an orange-y planet with strange appurtenances, shadows and red rivers. I always ask for a copy -- and a report. For now, driving that distance for eye care isn't a problem; even though traffic is very heavy, the way is well known. But at some point it may prove too arduous and I will want a doctor close by who will need the information. It's easier to get records as they accumulate than to try to get them at a later date.
Ah, well. I wonder, once this situation gets under control, what will happen next! To quote SNL's Roseanne Rosannadanna*, "... there's always somethin'..."
*aka Gilda Radner
Now, as my family knows, I have a strange medical history: when a doctor finds something, it seldom follows expectable behavior, other doctors come to look and discuss, often puzzled as to what and why I "present" such a strange whatever. These "whatevers" have occurred from tip to toe and generally are not serious, just annoying. Well, except for when my heart stopped for no known reason in '93 and I needed a pacemaker, or the baby sized left eustachian tube necessitating 3 mastoid surgeries between '65 and '72... then there was -- well enough other stuff to show a pattern of anomalies -- like this eye business.
This freckle should either have stayed as it was or had a shape and/or size change. Instead, a second one appeared on the left eye and a single one, on the other eye. I guess this was not expected as two other doctors came for a look, several more photos were taken and an appointment made with a retinal specialist for the end of June. Best case scenario: freckle check every 4-6 months. Worst case: freckle turns into melanoma into cancer and treatments.
IF my pattern of strange stuff stays true to form, I'll be driving 2 hours each way every 6 months simply for more eyeball measuring photos. Which, if you've never seen any, are very strange, resembling an orange-y planet with strange appurtenances, shadows and red rivers. I always ask for a copy -- and a report. For now, driving that distance for eye care isn't a problem; even though traffic is very heavy, the way is well known. But at some point it may prove too arduous and I will want a doctor close by who will need the information. It's easier to get records as they accumulate than to try to get them at a later date.
Ah, well. I wonder, once this situation gets under control, what will happen next! To quote SNL's Roseanne Rosannadanna*, "... there's always somethin'..."
*aka Gilda Radner
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